THUNDER BAY, Ont. — A second period power play goal from Julian Cimadamore would stand up as the winner on Friday night, as the Mustangs got some strong performances from their veteran core to take a 3-2 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
 
The game was the first in a double header for the two teams, with another matchup set for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Western entered the game ranked second in the OUA and left that way too, extending their current win streak to six games in the process. Lakehead, on the other hand, continued their rough start to the year and remain in sixth place.
 
Cimadamore wasn't the only veteran to score on the night, as captain Steve Reese got Western on the board with a first-period power play goal before Stefan Salituro added one of his own 4:40 later. Adam McKee had the primary assist on both goals, giving the fourth year forward eight points in his last three games and 12 on his current six-game point streak.
 
Matt Paltridge and Luke Karaim were the other Mustangs to get on the board Friday, with each recording an assist. Karaim was kept off the board in Western's 5-1 victory over UQTR last Saturday but had been on a role before that, as he now has
 
Western was also able to keep the OUA's second-best scorer off the board on Friday night, as Mike Hammond failed to record a point for just the fifth time this season. Once again, Greg Dodds was a big factor for the Mustangs, stopping 25 of the 27 shots that came his way.
 
Dodds was tested early, with Lakehead's Nathan Bruyere cashing in on the power play just over six minutes into the match. But Western would largely take control after that, outshooting the Thunderwolves 12-7 in the frame and outscoring them 2-1 on goals from Reese and Salituro. Cimadamore's goal in the second period would give Western a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame.
 
Although Western didn't give up their lead in the third, they did give up something else: their first shorthanded goal against on the season. Ryan Magill played the villain, taking a feed from teammate Andrew Tessier before beating Dodds for his fourth of the year. Magill had a strong night for Lakehead, as he also had the secondary assist on Bruyere's first-period goal.
 
But it's hard to blame the Mustangs, since the third period turned out to be a bit of a mess for everyone involved; in the end, 54 penalty minutes were handed out between the two teams in the period, with the Thunderwolves being responsible for 34 of those. In total, 74 minutes were assessed on the night, thanks in large part to three 10-minute misconducts.
 
The two teams will have a chance to hash out the rest of their problems on Saturday, as they'll meet for the second time in two nights. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
Notes
 
Western defenceman Stephen Gaskin entered Friday with just 10 penalty minutes on the year but would more than double that total by the end of the night, racking up 14 including a ten minute misconduct with time expired in the third… Salituro extended his point-streak to six games with his goal. He has four goals and eight points over that stretch… Reese's goal was his sixth of the season and his team-leading 21st point.